Captain Jack Sparrow
Captain Jack Sparrow is the main protagonist of pirates of the Caribbean film series. He is the main protagonist of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, '' ''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. He is the only main character to appear as a major character in all the films, because the movies don't have a fixed protagonist, he is commonly seen as the series's overall main protagonist. Though he is more accurately described as a true anti-hero since he embodies the ideals of a true pirate, doing what he deems necessary to keep himself out of trouble, though usually failing at doing so. In all of the films the character is portrayed by Johnny Depp and is considered one of Disney's most popular modern heroes. Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The character was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and is portrayed by Johnny Depp. He is first introduced in the film Pirates because of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). He later appears in the sequels Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011), and Dead Men Tell No Tales ''(2017). He was brought to life by Depp, who based his characterization on The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and cartoon character Pepé Le Pew. The series ''Pirates of the Caribbean was inspired by a Disney theme park ride, and when the ride was revamped in 2006, the character of Jack Sparrow was added to it. He also headlines The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Sparrow is also the subject of a children's book series Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow, which chronicles his teenage years, and he has also appeared in several video games. In the context of the films, Sparrow is one of the nine pirate lords in the Brethren Court, the Pirate Lords of the Seven Seas. He can be treacherous and survives mostly by using wit and negotiation rather than weapons or force, preferring to flee most dangerous situations and fight only when necessary. Sparrow is introduced seeking to regain his ship, the Black Pearl, from his mutinous first mate, Hector Barbossa, and later attempts to escape his blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones while battling the East India Trading Company. The character's role was expanded more as the films progress. Tie-ins Outside films, Jack Sparrow appeared as a companion character in the 2006 video game Kingdom Hearts II, where he was voiced by James Arnold Taylor in the English version and Hiroaki Hirata (who also dubbed Sparrow in the film's Japanese dubs) in the Japanese version. Sparrow has since appeared in other video games, including "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" voiced by James Arnold Taylor for the second time. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow, where he was voiced by Johnny Depp, and the game adaptation of At World's End, where he was voiced by Jared Butler with motion capture movements provided by Johnny Paton. The character was again voiced by Jared Butler in Pirates of the Caribbean Online, which takes place between the first and second films. Jack is also a playable character in Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game. He is also a playable character in the video game Disney Infinity, voiced by Jared Butler. Sparrow's backstory in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide indicates he was born on a pirate ship during a typhoon in the Indian Ocean, and that he was trained to fence by an Italian. Rob Kidd wrote an ongoing book series entitled Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow, following a teenage Sparrow and his crew on the Barnacle as they battle sirens, mermaids and adult pirates while looking for various treasures. The first book, The Coming Storm, was published on June 1, 2006. In 2011, Ann C. Crispin wrote a novel titled Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom, which follows Jack's adventures when he worked as a merchant captain for the East India Trading Company. Concept and creation Character creation When writing the screenplay for The Curse of the Black Pearl, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio envisioned Jack Sparrow as a supporting character, citing Bugs Bunny and Groucho Marx as influences. The producers saw him as a young Burt Lancaster. Director Gore Verbinski admitted, "The first film was a movie, and then Jack was put into it almost. He doesn't have the obligations of the plot in the same ways that the other characters have. He meanders his way through, and he kind of affects everybody else." Sparrow represents an ethical pirate, with Captain Barbossa as his corrupt foil. His true motives usually remain masked, and whether he is honorable or evil depends on the audience's perspective. This acts as part of Will Turner's arc, in which Sparrow tells him a pirate can be a good man, like his father. Following the success of The Curse of the Black Pearl, the challenge to creating a sequel was, according to Verbinski, "You don't want just the Jack Sparrow movie. It's like having a garlic milkshake. He's the spice and you need a lot of straight men ... Let's not give them too much Jack. It's like too much dessert or too much of a good thing." Although Dead Man's Chest was written to propel the trilogy's plot, Sparrow's state-of-mind as he is pursued by Davy Jones becomes increasingly edgy, and the writers concocted the cannibal sequence to show that he was in danger whether on land or at sea. Sparrow is also perplexed over his attraction to Elizabeth Swann, and attempts to justify it throughout the film. At World's End was meant to return it tonally to a character piece. Sparrow, in particular, is tinged with madness after extended solitary confinement in Davy Jones's Locker, and now desires immortality. Sparrow struggles with what it takes to be a moral person, after his honest streak caused his doom in the second film. This is mainly shown by his increasingly erratic behaviour and Jack's hallucinations which appeared to be simply his deranged mind in the beginning where dozens of "Jack Sparrows" appeared to crew the ship in his solitary exile, but later the hallucinations grew more important and there were mainly two "Jacks" constantly arguing about which path to follow: the immortality or the mortality. The last hallucination took place while Jack was imprisoned on the Dutchman where his honest streak won (possibly due to not liking his sea creature-like "future" which comedically dropped his brain and searched for it around the Brig. By the end of At World's End Sparrow is sailing to the Fountain of Youth, an early concept for the second film. Rossio has said they may write the screenplay for a fourth film, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer has expressed interest in a spin-off. Gore Verbinski concurred that "all of the stories set in motion by the first film have been resolved. If there ever were another Pirates of the Caribbean film, I would start fresh and focus on the further adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow." On Stranger Tides was first announced on September 28, 2008 during a Disney event at the Kodak Theater. Gore Verbinski did not return to direct the fourth installment and was replaced by Rob Marshall. The movie uses elements from Tim Powers novel of the same name, particularly Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, but the film is not a straight adaptation of the novel. Johnny Depp Johnny Depp was looking to do a family film in 2001, and was visiting the Walt Disney Studios when he heard there were plans to adapt the Pirates of the Caribbean ride into a film. Depp was excited by the possibility of reviving an old Hollywood genre, and was further delighted that the script met his quirky sensibilities: the crew of the Black Pearl were not searching for treasure, but were instead trying to return it to lift their curse. In addition, the traditional mutiny had already occurred. Depp was cast on June 10, 2002. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer felt Depp was "an edgy actor who will kind of counter the Disney Country Bears soft quality and tell an audience that an adult and teenager can go see this and have a good time with it." At the first read-through, Depp surprised the cast and crew by portraying the character in an off-kilter manner. After researching 18th-century pirates, Depp compared them to modern rock stars and decided to base his performance on Keith Richards. Richards would later appear in two cameos as Jack's father, Captain Teague, in At World's End and On Stranger Tides. Verbinski and Bruckheimer had confidence in Depp, partly because Orlando Bloom would be playing the traditional Errol Flynn-type character. Depp also improvised the film's final line, "Now, bring me that horizon", which is the writer's favorite line. Disney executives were initially confused by Depp's performance, asking him whether the character was drunk or gay. Michael Eisner even proclaimed while watching rushes, "He's ruining the film!" Depp responded, "Look, these are the choices I made. You know my work. So either trust me or give me the boot." Many industry insiders also questioned Depp's casting, as he was an unconventional actor not known for working within the traditional studio system. Depp's performance was highly acclaimed by film critics. Alan Morrison found it "Gloriously over-the-top ... In terms of physical precision and verbal delivery, it's a master-class in comedy acting." Roger Ebert also found his performance "original in its every atom. There has never been a pirate, or for that matter a human being, like this in any other movie ... his behavior shows a lifetime of rehearsal." Ebert also praised Depp for drawing away from the way the character was written. Depp won a Screen Actor's Guild award for his performance, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Actor, the first in his career. Film School Rejects argued that because of the film, Depp became as much a movie star as he was a character actor. Johnny Depp returned as Jack Sparrow in Dead Man's Chest, the first time the actor had ever made a sequel. Drew McWeeny noted, "Remember how cool Han Solo was in Star Wars the first time you saw it? And then remember how much cooler he seemed when Empire came out? This is that big a jump." Depp received an MTV Movie Award and a Teen Choice Award for Dead Man's Chest, and was also nominated for an Empire Award and another Golden Globe. For his performance in At World's End, Depp won an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance, as well as a People's Choice Award, a Kids' Choice Award, and another Teen Choice Award. He has signed on to reprise the role for future sequels. Make-up and costumes Johnny Depp wore a wig to portray Sparrow's dreadlocks, an aesthetic influenced by Depp's rock n' roll approach to pirates. In addition to a red bandanna Sparrow wears numerous objects in his hair, influenced by Keith Richards' habit of collecting souvenirs from his travels; Sparrow's decorations include his "piece of eight". Sparrow wears kohl around his eyes, which was inspired by Depp's study of nomads, whom he compared to pirates, and Depp also wore contacts that acted as sunglasses. Sparrow has several gold teeth, two of which belong to Depp, although they were applied during filming. Depp forgot to have them removed after shooting The Curse of the Black Pearl, and decided to keep them throughout shooting of the sequels. Like all aspects of Depp's performance, Disney initially expressed great concern over Depp's teeth. Sparrow wears his goatee in two braids. Initially wire was used in them, but the wires were abandoned because they made the braids stick up when Depp lay down. Sparrow also has numerous tattoos, and has been branded a pirate on his right arm by Cutler Beckett, underneath a tattoo of a sparrow. In At World's End, one of the "Jack" incarnations is working stripped to the waist, and a full body tattoo of the anachronistic (1927) poem Desiderata is clearly seen. Depp collaborated with costume designer Penny Rose on his character's appearance, handpicking a tricorne as Sparrow's signature leather hat: the other characters in the series could not wear leather hats, to make Sparrow's unique. For the scene when it floats on water in Dead Man's Chest, a rubber version was used. Depp liked to stick to one costume, wearing one lightweight silk tweed frock coat throughout the series, and he had to be coaxed out of wearing his boots for a version without a sole or heel in beach scenes. The official line is that none of the costumes from The Curse of the Black Pearl survived, which allowed the opportunity to create tougher linen shirts for stunts. However, one remains which has been displayed in an exhibition of screen costumes in Worcester, England. It was a nightmare for Rose to track down the same makers of Sparrow's sash in Turkey. Rose did not want to silkscreen it, as the homewoven piece had the correct worn feel. Sparrow wears an additional belt in the sequels, because Depp liked a new buckle which did not fit with the original piece. Sparrow's weapons are genuine 18th century pieces: his sword dates to the 1740s, while his pistol is from the 1760s. Both were made in London. Depp used two pistols on set, one being rubber. Both props survived after production of the first film. Sparrow's magic compass also survived into the sequels, though director Gore Verbinski had a red arrow added to the dial as it became a more prominent prop. As it does not act like a normal compass, a magnet was used to make it spin. Sparrow wears four rings, two of which belong to Depp. Depp bought the green ring in 1989 and the gold ring is a replica of a 2400-year-old ring Depp gave to the crew, though the original was later stolen. The other two are props to which Depp gave backstories: the gold-and-black ring is stolen from a Spanish widow Sparrow seduced and the green dragon ring recalls his adventures in the Far East. Among Depp's additional ideas was the necklace made of human toes that Sparrow wears as the Pelegosto prepare to eat him, and the sceptre was based on one a friend of Depp's owned. During the course of the trilogy, Sparrow undergoes physical transformations. In The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sparrow curses himself to battle the undead Barbossa. Like all the actors playing the Black Pearl crew, Depp had to shoot scenes in costume as a reference for the animators, and his shots as a skeleton were shot again without him. Depp reprised the scene again on a motion capture stage. In At World's End, Sparrow hallucinates a version of himself as a member of Davy Jones's crew, adhered to a wall and encrusted with barnacles. Director Gore Verbinski oversaw that the design retained Sparrow's distinctive look, and rejected initial designs which portrayed him as over 100 years old. Characterization According to screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, Sparrow is a trickster who uses wit and deceit to attain his goals, preferring to end disputes verbally instead of by force. He walks with a slightly drunken swagger and has slurred speech and flailing hand gestures, although Barbossa does not respect him much, as evidenced by naming his monkey Jack. Sparrow is shrewd, calculating, and eccentric. He fools Commodore Norrington and his entire crew to set sail on the royal ship Interceptor, which compels the admiration of Lieutenant Groves as he concedes: 'That's got to be the best pirate I have ever seen'. Norrington himself acquiesces to this praise: 'So it would seem', in sharp contrast to what he had previously proclaimed: 'You are without doubt the worst pirate I have ever heard of'. In the third film, while he leaves Beckett's ship stranded and makes off, Lieutenant Groves asks him: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?". It was he who deciphered the seemingly unintelligible map in the same film while the others were still grappling with the problem of returning to the real world. When the Brethren Court convenes but the pirate lords fail to reach a consensus as to whether to fight the Armada or not (he and Elizabeth are inclined to go to war, while the others are not), Jack suggests a way out of this impasse by calling for a ritual vote whose results determine who will be the king. Every pirate lord votes only for himself or herself, but he votes for Elizabeth, resulting her being elected the 'king', after which she announces 'Prepare every vessel that floats. At dawn we are at war', which was what he had intended, and which other pirates are now bound to obey. In combat, Sparrow is a skilled swordsman (capable of holding his own against Barbossa and Davy Jones), but uses his superior intelligence to his advantage during fights, exploiting his environment to turn the tables on his foes rather than relying purely on his skill with a sword. Jack usually prefers the strategies of non-violent negotiations and turning his enemies against each other, reasoning "Why fight when you can negotiate? All one needs is the proper leverage." He will invoke parley and tempt his enemies away from their murderous intentions, encouraging them to see the bigger picture, as he does when he persuades Barbossa to delay returning to mortal form so he can battle the British Royal Navy. He often uses complex wordplay and vocabulary to confound his enemies, and it is suggested that his pacifism may be one reason Barbossa and the Black Pearl crew mutinied; Barbossa says in the first film, "Jack, that's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl. People are easier to search when they're dead." His pacifism is further indicated by the tattoo of the Desiderata on his back. Although a pirate and willing to kill his enemies in a fight, Jack has also shown a reluctance to kill people who do not actually wish him harm, as seen when he preferred to simply avoid a fight with Will Turner in their first meeting (the fight being provoked by Will's insistence); when facing soldiers or navy officers who are only after him because it is their job rather than because they have personal issues with him, Jack has generally resorted to simply knocking them out or distracting them while he makes his escape. When Will is fatally wounded by Davy Jones, he relinquishes his dream of stabbing Jones' heart and becoming immortal and lets a dying Will stab it instead, thus ensuring that he lives, albeit not in the usual way. When searching for the Fountain of Youth, Jack noted that his desire for the Fountain had lessened when he learned that the Fountain would only provide someone with extra life if another died at the same time. The character is portrayed as having created, or at least contributed to, his own reputation. When Gibbs tells Will that Sparrow escaped from a desert island by strapping two sea turtles together, Sparrow embellishes the story by claiming the rope was made from hair from his own back, while in reality, Sparrow escaped the island by bartering with rum traders. The video game Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow bases itself around these tall tales, including the sacking of Nassau port without firing a single shot. In a script draft of Dead Man's Chest, Will's guide says that he heard Sparrow escaped execution in Port Royal by grabbing two parrots and flying away. Johnny Depp has said pirates were like rock stars in that their fame preceded them, which suggests a reason for the portrayal of Sparrow as having an enormous ego. Sparrow also insists on being addressed as "Captain" Jack Sparrow and often gives the farewell, "This is the day you will always remember as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!," which is sometimes humorously cut off. When accused by Norrington as being the worst pirate he has ever heard of, Sparrow replies, "But you have heard of me." In a deleted scene from The Curse of the Black Pearl Sparrow ponders being "the immortal Captain Jack Sparrow", and during At World's End he again is interested in immortality, although his father, Captain Teague, warns it can be a terrible curse. Sparrow also ponders being "Captain Jack Sparrow, the last pirate," as the East India Trading Company purges piracy. Despite his many heroics, Sparrow is a pirate and a morally ambiguous character. When agreeing to trade 100 souls, including Will, to Davy Jones in exchange for his freedom, Jones asks Sparrow whether he can, "condemn an innocent man—a friend—to a lifetime of servitude in your name while you roam free?" After a hesitation Sparrow merrily replies, "Yep! I'm good with it!" He carelessly runs up debts with Anamaria, Davy Jones, and the other pirate lords. Sao Feng, pirate lord of Singapore, is particularly hateful towards him. In a cowardly moment, Sparrow abandons his crew during the Kraken's attack, but underlying loyalty and morality compel him to return and save them. Sparrow claims to be a man of his word, and expresses surprise that people doubt his truthfulness; there is also no murder on his criminal record. Depp partly based the character on Pepé Le Pew, a womanizing skunk from Looney Tunes. Sparrow claims to have a "tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature", although his conquests are often left with a sour memory of him. Former flames, Scarlett and Giselle, usually slap him or anyone looking for him. His witty charm easily attracts women, and even has Elizabeth questioning her feelings. Director Gore Verbinski noted phallic connotations in Sparrow's relationship with his vessel, as he grips the steering wheel. The Black Pearl is described as "the only ship which can outrun the Flying Dutchman". The Freudian overtones continue in the third film when Sparrow and Barbossa battle for captaincy of the Black Pearl, showing off the length of their telescopes, and in a deleted scene, they fight over the steering wheel. Sparrow claims his "first and only love is the sea," and describes his ship as representing freedom. Davy Jones's Locker is represented as a desert, symbolizing his personal hell. Sparrow also has bad personal hygiene, a trait of Pepé Le Pew. Verbinski described Sparrow's breath as very foul. Sparrow knocks Will off his ship simply by huffing at him. Lastly, Sparrow has an insatiable thirst for rum, which can confuse his magic compass as to what he wants most. According to his criminal record on the At World's End website, he even sacked a shipment of rum to quench his thirst. Impact on pop culture When Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest grossed over worldwide, Ian Nathan attributed this to Sparrow's popularity: "Pirates, the franchise, only had to turn up. There was a powerful holdover from the cheeky delights of its debut, something we hadn't felt since the Clone Wars called it a day." Empire declared Johnny Depp's performance to be the seventy-fourth "thing that rocked our world" in 2006 when celebrating 200 issues and later named him as the eighth greatest movie character of all time. A survey of more than 3,000 people showed Jack Sparrow was the most popular Halloween costume of 2006, and a 2007 poll held by the Internet Movie Database showed Sparrow to be the second most popular live action hero, after Indiana Jones. In a 2007 Pearl & Dean poll, Jack Sparrow was listed as Depp's most popular performance. Emanuel Levy feels the character is the only iconic film character of the 2000s decade, while Todd Gilchrist feels Sparrow is the only element of the films that will remain timeless. According to Sharon Eberson, the character's popularity can be attributed to being a "scoundrel whose occasional bouts of conscience allow viewers to go with the flaws because, as played to the larger-than-life hilt by Depp, he owns every scene he is in." Film history professor at UCLA Jonathan Kuntz also attributed his popularity to the increased questioning of masculinity in the 21st century, and Sparrow's personality contrasts with action-adventure heroes in cinema. Leonard Maltin concurs that Sparrow has a carefree attitude and does not take himself seriously. Mark Fox also noted Sparrow is an escapist fantasy figure for women, free from much of the responsibility of most heroes. Sparrow is listed by IGN as one of their ten favorite film outlaws, as he "lives for himself and the freedom to do whatever it is that he damn well pleases. Precious few film characters have epitomized what makes the outlaw such a romantic figure for audiences as Captain Jack Sparrow has." Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Part Keith Richards rift, part sozzled lounge lizard, Johnny Depp's swizzleshtick pirate was definitely one of the most dazzling characters of the decade." In June 2010, Sparrow was also named one of Entertainment Weekly 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years. Jack Sparrow is a legendary pirate and the main protagonist in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series. Portrayed by Johnny Depp, he is first introduced in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and has appeared in the sequels Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, and On Stranger Tides. When the original Disneyland attraction was revamped in 2006, Jack Sparrow was added to the ride. Among other appearances, the character headlines The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios, as well as several books and video games. A legendary pirate of the Seven Seas, Captain Jack Sparrow is the irreverent trickster of the Caribbean. A captain of equally dubious morality and sobriety, a master of self-promotion and self-interest, he fights a constant and losing battle with his own best tendencies. Jack Sparrow's first love is the sea, his second his beloved ship the Black Pearl, whether it be lost or found, or lost again. Despite his dishonesty and many deceptions, Jack Sparrow embarks on a number of grand and thrilling adventures, some involving the supernatural. In his adventures, he battles the cursed Captain Hector Barbossa, the fearsome Davy Jones, and the evil Lord Cutler Beckett. In his search for the Fountain of Youth, he has to contend with the notorious Captain Blackbeard and the beautiful Angelica. Background Personality Sailing a fine line between piratical genius and mercurial madness, Captain Jack Sparrow had an enemy in every port. Whether it's a silk headscarf from Singapore or a pistol belt from Port Royal, he hadn't paid for any of it. Born on a pirate ship during a typhoon, Jack Sparrow was noted for his unusual demeanor, characterized by a slightly drunken stagger and wild, flailing arm and hand gestures that made him appear unfocused. Jack's seemingly-perpetual drunkenness may have been the cause of his slurred speech. One of the well-known things about Captain Jack Sparrow was his myth, having been known for having created, or at least contributed to, his own reputation. Sparrow considered himself sensitive to the opposite sex, explaining that he had a "tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature." However, he was not one to commit to intimate relationships, as he considered marriage to be "like a wager to see who will fall out of love first." After facing Davy Jones, Jack desired immortality, which he failed to achieve two times: aboard the Flying Dutchman and at the Fountain of Youth. Jack Sparrow was a skilled swordsman but usually preferred to escape or negotiate rather than fight. However when forced into combat Jack held his own in duels by using a combination of swordplay, trickery, and using any available object as a weapon. Sparrow was frequently disarmed and he preferred escape or negotiation rather than combat. However, being the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean and having the highest bounty on his head out of all other Pirate Lords might indicate that he was much more skilled in battle than he let on. It was known that he learned swordplay from an Italian fencing master in exchange for captured Chinese silk. Appearance The distinctive look Jack Sparrow gave to himself is accentuated by dreadlocked dark brown to black hair and a goatee beard, though Jack sometimes wears a faded black tricorn hat. By Jack's later life, his hair is adorned with all manner of beads and trinkets gathered from his travels and adventures all over the world, each one having a story that reminded him of a previous adventure, and tied it in his hair or had someone else do it. Jack wears long sea boots and long, hard-wearing linen trousers. A knotted striped-red sash is tied around his waist, where he stows his pistol when not in use. On Jack's back is a long brown coat that he removes when the need arises to either swim or if the air gets too hot. A faded blue waistcoat with a shorter lightly-coloured back area and a torn white undershirt makes up the rest of the ensemble. A red bandanna is always wrapped around his head, complemented by his piece of eight (a small, ancient Siamese coin woven into Moroccan beads) draped over his forehead. After his piece of eight was destroyed in the ritual to release Calypso, Jack replaced it with new trinkets. Jack wears two belts, one to which he attached some odd additions. Beneath the belt, Jack wears a sash. On his fingers, like most pirates, Jack Sparrow wears four rings, while also wearing a shredded wristband on his right wrist. Jack has two marks on his right forearm: the distinctive "P" brand marked on pirates by members of the East India Trading Company—this one in particular administered by Cutler Beckett—and a tattoo of a sparrow flying across a setting sun. This is a well-known identifying mark, signifying that the bearer has sailed all of the Seven Seas. Jack's back was also extensively tattooed with a 15th century poem called the 'Desiderata'. Perhaps the most fantastic object Jack carries among his "effects" is his Compass. Obtained in a barter from Tia Dalma, Jack's compass does not point north, but rather towards the thing that the person holding the compass wants most. Since "the thing you want most in this world" is a fairly loose definition, it has been demonstrated to mean people (i.e.: Elizabeth wanting Jack or Will), objects (such as the Black Pearl or the Dead Man's Chest), or a place (Isle de Muerta or Shipwreck Cove, for example). Jack's pistol remained with him for many years, after it was loaded with a single shot and carried with him to the desert island he was marooned on by Barbossa. Jack escaped, and for the next ten years carried the pistol with him, intent on killing Barbossa with the single bullet he had been left. Thus, Jack could not bring himself to fire his pistol on anyone else; although he drew his pistol on Will Turner in order to end a duel between them, he did not use his shot, and was thus captured by the Royal Navy. Jack ultimately got his revenge on Barbossa, shooting him in the heart moments before Will reversed the curse that protected Barbossa. Jack was then free to load his pistol to capacity, and continued to use it years after. Items Compass Jack Sparrow's compass was an unusual navigational instrument most notably used by Captain Jack Sparrow, which he bartered from the voodoo mystic Tia Dalma. Unlike an ordinary compass, Jack's compass proved most valuable, as it pointed to what the owner wanted most, rather than mere magnetic north. Although it appeared to be useless, as the needle never pointed north, Jack's compass had supernatural qualities, giving him a special edge. The compass couldn't be used to navigate in a conventional sense, but it did direct the owner to whatever he or she wanted most at the moment. As the most special of all his possessions, this compass would be used in many of Jack Sparrow's adventures, including the search for the Treasure of Cortés, the Dead Man's Chest, and the Fountain of Youth. Jack's Family This family is a family of notorious pirates, outlaws, scoundrels, thieves, pillagers, brigands, criminals, and convicts. Most of them lived in a household full of constantly brawling pirates on Shipwreck Island. Their most prominent members were Jack Sparrow and Edward Teague. Known family members *'Jack Sparrow' - As a child, he lived on Shipwreck Island but he eventually ran away from home to escape his hectic household and the torturings of his "Grandmama". He spent his teenage years embarking on a series of adventures with a ragtag crew. In his young adult life, he worked for the East India Trading Company until he refused to transport slaves, in which he took a permanent life of a pirate. *'Edward Teague' - Jack's father, Keeper of the Code and former Pirate Lord of Madagascar. A legendary pirate in his own right, Teague occasionally re-appeared in the life of his son, who followed in his buccaneering footsteps. *'Jack Sparrow's mother' - Jack's mother and Teague's wife. After she died, Teague kept her head, which was made into a shrunken head. Teague would later gave the head to Jack. *'Grandmama' - Edward Teague's mother and former Pirate Lord of the Atlantic Ocean. A very old pirate with black eyes and a strong, husky voice. She enjoyed inflicting severe pain on Jack throughout his childhood. Apparently, she came close to killing him on three separate occassions. But, according to Teague, that was her way of expressing her love for her grandson. She nearly "died of grief" at eighty-two when Jack ran away from home. She often defended herself from "Quick Draw" McFleming with one of the half-dozen daggers tucked away in her girdle. It is also implied that she and Joshamee Gibbs were good friends, as he was present at her seventy-fourth birthday party. She develops a slight attraction to Hector Barbossa upon being introduced to him by her grandson. *'"Ace" Brannigan' - a pirate captain and Jack's uncle. He was frequently ganged up on and beaten by the "kids" of the family. *'"Quick Draw" McFleming' - Jack's second-aunt. She'd frequently assault Jack's "Grandmama" with rum tankards. *'Valerie'- Jack's pirate cousin. Teague has great respect for her, and he wishes that his son would be more like her. *'Mabeltrude the Violent Visionary '- A cousin of Grandmama's. When Jack was eight, she predicted that he would nearly burn down Grandmama's ship, consequently causing her and Teague to lock him in the brig where he couldn't do too much damage. *'Patriarch' - He controlled the family inheritance of plundered treasure. Teague constantly schemed to overthrow this man and secure all the loot for himself. *'The "Little Cousins" '- "Quick Draw" McFleming's children, whom Jack found to be extremely unpleasant. Behind the Scenes *Jack Sparrow was portrayed by Johnny Depp in several Pirates of the Caribbean media: appearing in all four films, with archived footage was used for his appearance in Wedlocked; lending his voice in the video game The Legend of Jack Sparrow. Depp also reprised his role in two Disney Parks attractions: the 2006 revamp of Pirates of the Caribbean and the 2012 attraction The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow. James Arnold Taylor provided his voice in Kingdom Hearts II. Hiroaki Hirata voiced him in the Japanese dub of both The Curse of the Black Pearl and Kingdom Hearts II. Jared Butler provided his voice in the At World's End video game and Pirates of the Caribbean Online. *Before Johnny Depp was cast, Michael Keaton, Jim Carrey, Christopher Walken, and Hugh Jackman were all considered for the role of Jack Sparrow. The concept of the first film was initially helmed by Steven Spielberg, whose choices for the role were Bill Murray, Steve Martin or Robin Williams. *Depp stated that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and Pepé Le Pew (from Looney Tunes) were inspirations for his performance. Though when writing the screenplay for The Curse of the Black Pearl, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio envisioned Jack as a supporting character, citing Bugs Bunny and Groucho Marx as influences. Errol Flynn was thought of as well into Sparrow's performance. *Depp was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a rarity for a comic performance. Its also the first time any man has been nominated for that award for their performance in a Disney movie. *Depp's tattoos were covered by clothing and smears of charcoal for the film, though his character's tattoos (the pirate brand and Sparrow's insignia) were fake. Depp had a replica of the "Jack Sparrow" tattoo after filming was complete, in honor of his son, Jack. Additionally, Depp asked his dentist to implant real gold teeth for the film, though Disney executive Michael Eisner felt he had too many and asked Depp to remove all but a few. *According to the screenwriters' commentary on the DVD release of The Curse of the Black Pearl, Jack is actually the worst swordsman of the main characters, with Will being the best and Barbossa and Norrington evenly matched, but also the most experienced, having beaten the three of them by violating the rules of engagement. *In the original Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides script, Blackbeard cuts off one of Jack Sparrow's dreadlocks and puts it in his voodoo doll creation. However, in the final cut of On Stranger Tides, he just creates the doll without the use of his dreadlocks. Whether the moment was cut from the final version of the On Stranger Tides or if it was even filmed at all is unknown. *Jack Sparrow's wound in On Stranger Tides was thought to be a "trident-shaped" wound. However, in the screenplay, Jack's wound was a "pitchfork-shaped upside-down cross". *One of the early posters for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest showed a Jack Sparrow voodoo doll. *In the first screenplay draft of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Captain Hector Barbossa orders Ragetti to bring up Tia Dalma's "effects", which happens to be a bag full of voodoo dolls, including a Jack Sparrow one, which was holding a small bottle. *The voodoo doll never appears in LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, and rather than finding the doll, Angelica finds Jack's hat and uses it for target practice while throwing coconuts *The tricorne used in The Curse of the Black Pearl was lost after filming. *Several different tricornes were used during the filming of Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. There are a few differences between them. For example, one had additional thread holes, which was used during the Davy Jones' Locker scene. In addition some of the hats had different sized holes and the hat was more of a brown color than black. A completely different hat was used for the filming of On Stranger Tides. *The Disney Adventures comics often changed the color of Jack Sparrow's hat, most often showing him wearing a brown ticorne. *In a deleted scene from At World's End, titled "Two Captains, One Ship", "Jack" the Monkey wore this hat until Jack Sparrow took it from him. After briefly fanning himself with his hat, Jack put it back on his head. *Jack Sparrow is seen least with his hat in Dead Man's Chest (due to it being swallowed by the Kraken) and On Stranger Tides (due to losing it in the River Thames). *The name "Jack Sparrow's family" comes from the fact that every member of this family is related to Jack Sparrow. However, because of the differences in last names (e.g. Sparrow, Teague) makes the official family name unknown. *This small fishing boat was used by Jack Sparrow after Captain Hector Barbossa mutinied and commandeered the Black Pearl—for the second time—following the death of Lord Cutler Beckett. *The dinghy's appearance in the At World's End video game was slightly different than what was in the film. After the battle was won, Hector Barbossa himself sent Jack to the dinghy rather than leaving it where Jack would find it in Tortuga. And as soon as Jack sailed across the sea, Jack met with Bartholomew Roberts. *In LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, Jack began his journey to the Fountain of Youth with Joshamee Gibbs aboard the dinghy, rather than by himself. *In At World's End and LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, the dinghy had sails. However, in the At World's End video game, it was just a simple longboat. *In Kingdom Hearts II, the name of Jack Sparrow's sword was "Skill and Crossbones". *While it had yet to be officially confirmed or denied, it is quite possible that Jack Sparrow had this sword reforged, after being broken by Davy Jones, by the end of At World's End. *Throughout On Stranger Tides, Jack Sparrow repeatedly lost and recovered his sword. In the same film, the sword's blade seems to be shorter than in the previous films. 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